Report by Julian Tyley
Manager Jay Bates was clearly disappointed but philosophical after seeing his side suffer their first league defeat of the season at an impressive Guisborough Town.
"It had to come to an end. Unfortunately for us it's come at Guisborough on a Wednesday night when we've come down here with a depleted squad. I'm not going to make excuses, that's not why we lost tonight, but there were a few key people missing today, people who have started every game of the season, so it took a while in the first half to get used to the formation that we wanted to play, to adjust to the players that had to come in. But Guisborough deserved the three points in a way, but at the same time, moments in the game define things. We can talk about referees all day, but for me and their dugout as well, the referee's missed a blatant red card and penalty. Macca (Mackenzie Sharpe) has missed two great opportunities in the second half. If you score them you go 2-1 up and it's a different game altogether.
"Credit to Guisborough, they played to a system. We've seen their keeper before at Bishop Auckland last season. It's like an extra player for them, the way he plays football from the back and got the full backs high. They looked good in possession, put us under a little bit of pressure after we scored the goal and they got their goal back. It was a bit unfortunate by 'Erra' scoring an own goal but it is what it is. It went in off the back of his heel.
"They're a good team, they looked at where they needed to improve and they made two signings today, one of them being Tolu who's come on and scored the goal, so fair play to Guisborough.
"We go again in the Vase on Saturday. Like I say, it was always going to happen. You cannot win them all. You're never ever going to win them all in this league. Every game's a tough game and to come to Guisborough in midweek is a very hard game. Unfortunately for us it's a team that's very close to us in the table which pushes them into second place just behind us. But now all our focus is Knaresborough on Saturday in the Vase."
